FEATURED ARTICLES ABOUT COLLEGE FOOTBALL - PAGE 5

The NCAA and Virginia Tech look into whether former Hokie player Jimmy Williams accepted money while at school. Jimmy Williams, an Atlanta Falcons cornerback and Bethel High graduate, denied a report that he borrowed money from a Norfolk lawyer while playing football at Virginia Tech. Williams told the Daily Press on Thursday that he and his father never accepted any gifts or monetary loans from Carl C. La Mondue, a lawyer from Norfolk. La Mondue filed a civil suit on Nov. 8 in Norfolk Circuit Court against Williams and his father, James Sr., seeking to obtain $55,109.

North Carolina and Old Dominion have agreed to a game next season in Chapel Hill, according to sources who asked not to be identified because they are not authorized to make an announcement, the Virginian-Pilot reported. UNC would be the first Football Bowl Subdivision opponent scheduled by ODU. The Monarchs would receive a check expected to be several hundred thousand dollars. With games only scheduled at Norfolk State Oct. 26 and at home against Charlotte Nov. 16, ODU has nine dates to fill.

Virginia coach Mike London said quarterback Greyson Lambert didn't suffer a shoulder injury Saturday against UCLA and is throwing, running and ready to go now. London replaced Lambert with Matt Johns after UCLA's third defensive touchdown of the second quarter - the second interception - and stuck with him as the Cavaliers lost 28-20. London said he will not name a starting quarterback until game time Saturday against Richmond at Scott Stadium. Virginia Tech Coach Frank Beamer said kicker Joey Slye, who had two short field goals in Saturday's 34-9 win against William and Mary, missed practice Tuesday with strep throat.

Old Dominion alumna Anna Tunnicliffe was named US Sailing's 2010 Rolex Yachtswoman of the Year, becoming the first woman to win the award three consecutive years. COLLEGE FOOTBALL Zohn Burden, who had been an Old Dominion assistant coach since August 2007, will leave to join the Richmond Spiders' staff. ... Chris Beatty, a former assistant at Hampton University and West Virginia and head coach of Landstown High, will become Vanderbilt's wide-receivers coach and recruiting coordinator.

Coach: Ken Karcher (20-36, 5 years). Last year: 6-5, 3-1 Big South. Starters returning: 6 offense, 7 defense. Can win a ring if: The Flames can overcome the loss of their top- notch backs, including Smithfield's Eugene Goodman and all-time leading rusher Dre Barnes, to remain productive on offense. LU has run for more than 2,000 yards in three straight years and is coming off back-to-back winning seasons for the first time since 1992-93, but this group of ball-carriers is unproven.

WHEN: 1:30 p.m. WHERE: Darling Stadium in Hampton. NOTABLE: The 50th Oyster Bowl after a three- year absence. RECORDS/LAST WEEK: Wesley (2-3) lost to Frostburg State, 42-17; Apprentice (0-6) lost to Stillman, 29-12 SERIES: Wesley leads, 7-3-1 TICKETS: Available at $7.50. ANALYSIS: Wesley averages 24 points per game, but gives up 26.4. That's small consolation to the Builders, who have scored only 46 all year and given up 228 - including 63-point collapses against Catholic and UVA-Wise.

Some observations, ramblings and general musings as college football enters its fourth weekend: The world has gone topsy-turvy. Clemson is now a passing team and Wake Forest has the nation's leading rusher in Morgan Kane. Next thing you know, UCLA will have a good defense. Georgia Tech quarterback Joe Hamilton is legit. People knock his size (he's listed at 5-foot-10, but that might be standing on an Atlanta phone book) but his performance Saturday night against Florida State made his longshot Heisman Trophy bid not such a longshot.

Forgive me, ACC fans, for I have sinned. I have taken commissioner John Swofford's name in vain and lampooned his conference's expansion. I have mourned the passing of basketball's double round-robin and mocked football's ambitions. I have carried a grudge against the university presidents who so cavalierly trashed the league of my youth. Yet for all that wailing, public and private, I must confess: The 12-team, made-for-TV, championship-game contraption that premieres this season intrigues me. Intrigues like a seven-car pileup, but intrigues nonetheless.

With participation up, the Builders can break through if they pass and kick better. To understand how Apprentice School can improve, think of a longtime contest for kids: "Punt, Pass and Kick." The Builders struggled mightily in those areas last season, but they still gutted out three victories. Now, with participation and talent climbing, hopes are brighter around the shipyard as Apprentice looks to end its 0-14 drought in the Atlantic Central Football Conference and maybe savor its first overall winning season since 1994.

Robert Parker craves space, but it's his dream of playing time that prompted a transfer from Virginia Tech to Hampton University. The thing Hampton University's Robert Parker likes about playing safety is the space. He says the position gives him the room to see what's in front of him, before he surges forward to clobber a receiver or stuff the run. Parker has always been about space. He shared a small bedroom with his brother growing up, so he spent countless hours reading apartment guides, dreaming of living in an apartment with enough bedrooms to have his own. "I'd show my mom apartments in the book that I wanted us to move into, but I knew we couldn't afford it," he said.